Loving Hating the Rain

Thursday

May 9, 2013 at 12:01 AMMay 9, 2013 at 8:01 AM

This time last year, we were two weeks from wheat harvest. A dry winter and spring had allowed Central Kansas farmers to get corn in the ground, land worked for planting soybeans and has pushed the wheat into early harvest.

But this year has proven exactly the opposite. The corn is still in the bag and the wheat is great and on-track for a late June harvest. The thought of planting soybeans hasn’t even crossed most farmers’ mind.

The difference is due to rain. Sweet, wet, glorious rain. The moisture we have yearned for the past two years and desperately need to fill our ponds, green our pastures and grow our crops. But the rain – which started as snow in late February – has continued through March and April and effectively delayed corn planting.

As my husband about planting corn and he grumbles but stops shorts of complaining because the rain is essential.

Katie Stockstill-Sawyer

This time last year, we were two weeks from wheat harvest. A dry winter and spring had allowed Central Kansas farmers to get corn in the ground, land worked for planting soybeans and has pushed the wheat into early harvest.

But this year has proven exactly the opposite. The corn is still in the bag and the wheat is great and on-track for a late June harvest. The thought of planting soybeans hasn’t even crossed most farmers’ mind.

The difference is due to rain. Sweet, wet, glorious rain. The moisture we have yearned for the past two years and desperately need to fill our ponds, green our pastures and grow our crops. But the rain – which started as snow in late February – has continued through March and April and effectively delayed corn planting.

As my husband about planting corn and he grumbles but stops shorts of complaining because the rain is essential.